How can regeneration reduce fuel consumption in a stationary gas turbine?

In stationary gas turbines, regeneration reduces fuel consumption by recovering heat from the turbine's exhaust gases to improve the thermal efficiency of the system.12

The process functions as follows:

• Heat Recovery: Hot exhaust gases, which typically exit the turbine at temperatures between 480° C and 590° C, are directed through a heat exchanger, also known as a regenerator.12
• Preheating: This heat is transferred to the air that has already been compressed but has not yet entered the combustion chamber.1
• Fuel Reduction: By preheating the compressed air, the amount of fuel required to reach the desired turbine-inlet temperature is significantly reduced.1

While this method effectively lowers fuel consumption, it requires the addition of a regenerator, which increases the initial capital cost of the equipment. Consequently, this engineering approach is generally considered economical only for units that operate almost continuously.1